Guest Post - Home Redecorating Tips & Advice for Empty Nesters

Your kids have spread their wings and flown, leaving you with an empty nest and plenty of mixed emotions. While you are probably happy to see your teens embarking on their own lives, seeing their empty bedrooms on a daily basis can leave you feeling quite lonely.

Look on the bright side, though. With your kids out of the house, you finally have the extra space for that study, home office, craft room, or guest bedroom you’ve been longing for. Transforming a no-longer-used childhood bedroom into a brand-new space makes it much easier to process your emotions and enjoy being an empty nester. Here are a helpful home redecorating tips and some advice on how to transform the spaces in your once-bustling home.

Reorganize

If your kids left their rooms behind as shrines to their teenage years, you will need to do a lot of organizing before you can transform the space. It may be too soon to pack up all of your kids’ belongings and donate them to charity if they have only recently left for college and still plan on coming home on vacations for school. In this case, your best bet is to reorganize their stuff to make room for yourself.

Tuck personal effects in baskets or boxes and store them in closets or dresser drawers for easy access. Consider installing a large shelving unit that can be used to display some of your child’s favorite possessions. This will allow you to maintain the personality of the room while giving yourself a bit more space.

When the kids are finished with college or have already moved into their own homes, feel free to pack up the things they left behind and either put them in storage, donate them, or throw them away. Of course, it’s always a good idea to check with your kids before getting rid of things that may still have sentimental value.

Come Up with a New Purpose

How do you want to use the newly available extra space? Would you like to transform your teen’s former room into an elegant guest bedroom? Set up the craft room you’ve always dreamed of having? Put in a home office where you can pursue your own entrepreneurial dreams? Create a home gym? Deciding exactly how you want to use the space is the first step in figuring out exactly what you will need to do to redecorate.

Once you’ve decided on a purpose, consider what furniture you will need. In many spaces, large furniture pieces serve as the main focal point. Selecting furniture like living room sofas, desks, and bedrooms sets early in the redecorating process will help you determine a color scheme. Look for high-quality furniture that you love that will withstand the test of time. With no more kids running around destroying everything, now is the time to invest in that classic leather recliner or sofa you’ve always dreamed of having!

Upgrade the Lighting

Changing the lighting in a room can change the entire feel of a space. If your son had a sports-themed ceiling fan or your daughter had a Hello Kitty bedside lamp, replace them with more elegant, mature fixtures. You may also want to upgrade basic fixtures and ceiling fans to more elegant styles that are better suited to your personal taste.

Add a nice floor lamp or some wall sconces. If you plan on spending a lot of time in the room, think about investing in a lamp that mimics natural sunlight to create a comfortable, inviting space. Choose lights that are appropriate for the type of room you are trying to create. A chandelier may be an amazing touch if you are converting a room into an elegant walk-in closet, but it may look out of place if you are converting the room into a home gym.

Replace the Flooring

Kids are messy, and there is a good chance that the floors in their old bedrooms aren’t in the greatest shape. Whether it’s nail polish in the carpet, water stains on the hardwood, or any other type of problem, a damaged floor can really detract from a space.

If it is in your budget, replacing damaged flooring gives any room an instant facelift. Even if the carpet is in good condition, getting rid of the baby pink and replacing it with carpet in a more grown-up color or hardwood will help you make the space your own. If completely redoing your floor doesn’t quite fit into your budget, pick up a nice rug to hide the damage. Also, arrange your furniture strategically to keep spots and stains out of sight.

Conclusion

For parents, living in an empty nest brings a lot of mixed emotions. While they are happy to see their kids starting at college, beginning their careers, and exploring the world on their own for the first time, the sudden emptiness in the home can bring sadness. By redecorating your kids’ old bedrooms, though, you can eliminate the depression that can come from staring at a shrine to their teenage years day after day. Redecorating also allows you to reclaim the space and transform it into something you will enjoy.

Your kids’ old bedrooms aren’t the only places you can redecorate. With the kids out of the house, you are now free to purchase higher-end furniture pieces and décor without fear of it being ruined by careless children or teens. You can decorate with your own style preferences in mind to create a beautiful home that feels less like an empty nest.

About the author: Jeff King serves as Vice President of Club Furniture (One Source Plus, Inc.). Jeff oversees all marketing related functions from the Charlotte, NC headquarters. When not busy playing bass guitar... Jeff enjoys reading, playing tennis, and spending time with his wife and two children.

Guest Post - Senior’s Guide to Decluttering

Whether your loved one is planning to downsize or simply declutter, tossing personal belongings can be challenging. There are all kinds of benefits to downsizing in your golden years — lower energy bills, a smaller space to clean and maintain, and the potential of moving closer to family. However, many seniors struggle to let go of the memories that have accumulated over the years. You can help your senior loved one transition smoothly by planning in advance, staying organized, and honoring their feelings throughout the process.

Step 1: Establish a Plan

Planning is the key to a trouble-free decluttering experience. If you’re moving to a new location, use a calendar to set dates for all moving-related activities. Have dates set for packing, garage or estate sales, charity and trash pickups, and moving itself. Setting reasonable limits on the timeline will also help lower the stress of the overall process.

Sharing the calendar which each person involved with the reorganization process will also help establish expectations. The stress of heavy lifting and consolidating items can create tension between loved ones – the more open communication the better.

Step 2: Sort Through the Smaller Items

Sifting through smaller items, even those as light as paper, will take a huge weight off your shoulders. Try to schedule one specific day to sort through any old files or lose papers on your countertops. Make sure to keep important documents in a separate pile to avoid accidentally tossing one. Be particularly careful to save the following items:

Birth certificates

Deeds

Diplomas and degrees

Financial documents

Medical records

Military records

Passports

Powers of attorney

Wills

Step 3: Find Homes for Larger Items

Your loved one may want to save more items than necessary, but they may not have the square footage to accommodate everything collected over the years. Larger items such as furniture and artwork can be more difficult to part with but will ultimately create a less cluttered space.

Once your loved one chooses a few larger items to let go of, there are a few different options for disposal. Depending on the value and significance or the item, the following options may be suitable for getting rid your items:

Storage - This may be the easiest option for your loved one, psychologically speaking, because they won’t have to part with their things entirely. The downside is storage fees can become expensive in the long run.

Donate - Your local Salvation Army or charity organization will be happy to accept gently used clothes and home goods, and many even offer curbside pickup.

Pass it down - Most seniors have a ton of treasures - jewelry, china, antiques, art, cooking supplies, heirlooms - they intend to pass on to their adult children eventually. If your loved one is willing to part with these items sooner, let them know that they will be treasured as part of the family legacy.

Sell - A garage or estate sale is a great way to part with unwanted items and make some extra cash. If you’re not sure how much some items are worth, talk to an antique dealer.

Step 4: Label and Consolidate Remaining Items

Now that the home is freshly decluttered, organizing the remaining items will maintain the tidiness over time. As your senior loved one’s memory weakens, having labels on smaller items will help when searching for particular belongings. Here are a few suggested items to label and store in one location:

Medicine and pill bottles

Pantry items

Incoming mail

Toiletries

Medical equipment

Household supplies

If the decluttering was in preparation of a move, other maintenance tasks may also attract additional buyers. Adding a fresh coat of paint, cleaning services, and professional staging to your newly organized home will also help it stand out against competition.

Remember that, ultimately, it is your loved one’s decision whether or not to part with items. If you’re too close to the situation and your help becomes overbearing, consider hiring an impartial third party who’s used to helping people let go. Professional organizers and movers in the Connecticut area can also remove the stress while handling your items with care.

Author Bio: Angie Bersin is part of the Redfin content marketing team and enjoys writing about home decor and real estate trends. As a long-term Seattleite, Angie enjoys traveling the globe to find content inspiration. Her dream home would be an urban loft filled with natural light, high ceilings, and an open floor plan.

Interview - MaxSold

Over the years we have helped many people downsize or move and they often ask about estate sales. Yard, garage and estate sales can be tricky and sometimes not worth it. However, there are still many options available for those with items to sell. We spoke with TJ of MaxSold about the resources they offer.

For the busy person, what is MaxSold? 

We are an online auction company that specialize in estate and downsizing sales. Think Craigslist meets eBay.

How does the process work if someone wants to sell with you?

Once you decide to hire us, everything goes like clockwork - we just need access to your place twice and our whole process takes only 2 weeks to complete:

• Cataloging: An entire day for us to photograph, describe and measure any and all items you might have to sell.
• Auction: We host the auction catalog online for 7 to 10 days and at the end the winning bidders pay for their items.
• Pick-Up Event: Two to four hours supervision of the removal of items – this typically happens two days after we close the week long online auction.

How does someone know if their items are worth it?

We do not complete appraisals as this is a pure auction-based system. We get fair market value for the items as we drive a bidding environment.

What geographic locations do you cover?

We are in 19 states and two provinces in Canada

(WA, CA, AZ, CO, TX, GA, FL, OH, VA, DC, MD, DE, NJ, PA, CT, MA, NY, RI and NH)

We are in British Columbia and Ontario in Canada

Can you share some of the interesting or cool things you have sold?

• Old Admiralty Longshank Anchor

Measuring 10 ft. Span. 10 ft. long, and weighing in at over 3000 pounds, this anchor required an industrial strength crane for removal.

• Large Chicken Plucker

Found in an unused barn that was part of an estate sale in Maryland, this rusted chicken plucker was truly a unique find.

• 6'5" The Predator Statue Made of Car Parts

Sold as part of a Business Downsizing auction in Kingston, Ontario, this hand-made statue was a truly one-of-a-kind piece. Selling for more than $1800, this is definitely the weirdest things we've sold yet!

• Chuckie's Dad Figurine
• Surrey with Fringe

You can be the cream of 19th Century Society with the Surrey, sold as part of a MaxSold Estate Sale. Note: Horses Not Included.

• CPR Dummies

People definitely collect weird things over the years. But who collects FOUR CPR dummies? Like one, ok fine we can get our heads around, but FOUR? Perhaps a paramedic or a CPR instructor? 

• Antique Coffin

We've sold several coffins at MaxSold, but this one is definitely the creepiest! It kinda looks like there's someone inside it still...

Interview - Oasis Senior Advisors

A large percentage of our clients are caring for an older parent. Often we are called in to help make space for a parent to move in with their adult children or we help older adults downsize as they prepare for the next life stage. We spoke with Paul at Oasis Senior Advisors to provide additional options for caregivers because just like House to Home Organizing they don't believe there is a one size fits all solution for caregivers.

For the stressed caregiver what is Oasis?

We give the caregiver the information they need to have confidence that they are making the best decisions and creating the most appropriate plans for their loved one.

If someone wants your help, how do they begin?

Families can call us at 475.619.4123 or email at TheDoyles@YourOasisAdvisor.com to schedule a free consultation.

Finances are always an issue for the older adult, how much do you charge?

We are a free service. There is never a charge to the family for our services.

Do you help all seniors, despite the level of care required?

We offer solutions for all levels of care. We connect seniors with resources for whatever care needs they may have and make referrals to everything from medical equipment for the home, to home care, to Assisted Living and Memory care and to Skilled Nursing Facilities.

What happens when an older adult doesn't have family members who live close?

We are national company with 60+ franchises in 26 States. Working together seamlessly with our colleagues around the country we make sure that families are able to care for a loved one from wherever they may live.

In your experience what are the biggest challenges facing older adults in our community?

It’s very difficult for families and older adults to make plans and decisions on the best care without information about all of the resources available. We try to educate families on all the options available to them and the best practices in providing a safe and enriching environment for their loved one; whether that be at home, Assisted Living, Memory Care or Skilled Nursing.